Sundance Channel original series RECTIFY premieres April 22 at 9PM

Sundance Channel announced today that its highly anticipated original series RECTIFY will debut on April 22, 2013 at 9:00pm et/pt. The six-episode hour-long series, created and written by Ray McKinnon (THE ACCOUNTANT, THAT EVENING SUN, MUD) and executive produced by Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein (the team behind the critically-acclaimed AMC series Breaking Bad), marks the first wholly owned Sundance Channel scripted production.

When Daniel Holden (Aden Young) is released after nearly 20 years of complete isolation on Death Row, he returns as an outsider to his family, to his community, and to the times. Somehow, he survived the mental and emotional strain of his imprisonment, but now the walls have suddenly come crumbling down and Daniel is set free in a world he no longer understands. He’s an outsider, lost in a once familiar world, struggling to navigate his new found freedom. Combined with two decades of technological and social changes to his small town and the larger world, everything he encounters is a puzzle.

Daniel’s unexpected presence not only throws his family into disarray, it ripples out to all the people connected to his case — the prosecutor who rode the notoriety to become a State Senator, the Sheriff who pushed the boundaries of the investigation, and the entire town of Paulie, GA, that blamed him for killing one of their own. Like a deadly spark, Daniel’s release reignites the mystery, the power plays, and the questionable justice that condemned him.

“We couldn’t be happier with the caliber of this series–from the dramatic tension of the narrative, to the complexity of the beautifully written and acted characters, we’re confident that ‘Rectify’ will resonate with our viewers, and also attract a whole new audience that is drawn to exceptional storytelling,” said Sarah Barnett, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sundance Channel.

Also starring in RECTIFY alongside Aden Young (KILLER ELITE, THE TREE) as Daniel Holden are Abigail Spencer (COWBOYS AND ALIENS, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL), who portrays Amantha Holden, Daniel Holden’s younger sister who believes completely in his innocence and has devoted her entire adult life to securing his release; J. Smith Cameron (True Blood, MARGARET) who plays Janet Talbot, Daniel’s loving mother, who has been living with the impending death of her son for nineteen years, and who long ago had made peace with the loss of her son, giving up on any hope for his release; Luke Kirby (TAKE THIS WALTZ, Slings and Arrows) tackles the role of Jon Stern, Daniel’s lawyer who works for an organization dedicated to exonerating the wrongfully convicted; Clayne Crawford (A WALK TO REMEMBER) portrays Ted Talbot, Jr., Daniel’s stepbrother whom he had never previously met; and Adelaide Clemens (SILENT HILL: REVELATION 3D, THE GREAT GATSBY) plays Tawney Talbot, Ted’s kind-hearted wife; Bruce McKinnon (THE WAY HOME) as Daniel’s step father Ted Sr.; Jake Austin Walker (THE CHAPERONE) as Daniel’s half brother Jared; Michael O’Neill (TRANSFORMERS) as Senator Roland Foulkes; and Hal Holbrook (INTO THE WILD) as Rutherford Gaines, Daniel’s former attorney.

Gran Via’s Mark Johnson (RAIN MAN, THE NOTEBOOK, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA) and Melissa Bernstein will also serve as executive producers. This marks the second project for Johnson and Bernstein with AMC Networks. The first is AMC’s Emmy Award(R)-winning series Breaking Bad.

RECTIFY is part of Sundance Channel’s continued expansion into scripted originals, which includes RESTLESS, the riveting two-part miniseries based on the novel by British author William Boyd depicting the story of a daughter who discovers that her mother was recruited as a spy during World War II, starring Hayley Atwell, Michelle Dockery, Charlotte Ramplingand just premiered earlier in December, as well as TOP OF THE LAKE from Jane Campion and starring Elisabeth Moss and Holly Hunter which is also scheduled to air in 2013. Earlier this year, the network received Golden Globe and SAG(R) nominations for scripted mini-series APPROPRIATE ADULT. The network’s first scripted project, CARLOS, won the Golden Globe for Outstanding Mini-series in 2011.